Community Stories

filtered by "Income", "Program", and "Act on What's Important"

In the southern end of California’s Santa Cruz County—a mostly wealthy county that ranked 10 out of 56 counties in California in the 2012 County Health Rankings —are the fields that produce food eaten at dinner tables and restaurants around the country. But the men and women who work those fields don’t often get to enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a cross-sector partnership between schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations, city government and the local health department in New Orleans, LA, has made public health and prevention a major component of the ongoing recovery effort.

Despite what you might expect with the climate, any annual list of “most bikeable” cities is going to have Minneapolis, MN, near the top. As the county seat of Hennepin County, which ranked 52 out of 84 counties in Minnesota in the 2012 County Health Rankings , Minneapolis is intentionally designed with bikeways and paths to encourage active transportation, including biking and walking.

Nestled along the eastern shore of Mount Hope Bay in Bristol County, Fall River, MA, was a mill town for about 150 years. As recently as half a century ago, families who called it home knew the mills would provide steady employment. That changed when the economy changed, and many of the biggest mills closed down. Today about a quarter of residents live in poverty and the unemployment rate is around 9 percent.

Public safety is an important component of every community’s overall health. In Flint, MI, located in Genesee County, the violent crime rate is over 400 percent of the national average, making safety a primary concern for many of the city’s residents.

Proud of their Menominee tribal culture and history, residents and leaders in Menominee County responded to being ranked 72nd of 72 counties by redoubling efforts to get back to a traditional, healthier community.